Ichiro (sore back) unavailable again Tuesday

Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki reaches for a fly ball against the Brewers.(AP)

New York Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki expects to be unavailable once again on Tuesday, as he is still feeling the effects of a sore lower back that he injured trying to make a sliding catch in Milwaukee on Sunday.

"I feel better than yesterday, but right now I think it would be another no go today," Ichiro said through his interpreter Tuesday afternoon. "I tried to get ready to play, but I think that's the scenario."

Ichiro did not hit on the field on Monday, but he said that he was inside working to see if he was healthy enough to play both Monday and Tuesday, and the answer was unfortunately no.

"I tried everything -- running, throwing, swinging -- and I wasn't able to do everything, so I'm unable to go," he said. "It's not like I wasn't out there, I was inside trying to do what I could to see if I could play. I know everybody's probably watching my every move and what I do, but I was trying to see if I could go."

While he said he had "nothing to compare" his pain level to, Ichiro feels that he won't be out for very long and doesn't need an MRI or any other tests.

"It's something I haven't done before, so I don't know what it's supposed to feel like, but I think that just a little time will be enough," he said.

With Ichiro banged up and Carlos Beltran day-to-day after receiving a cortisone shot to try to calm down a bone spur in his right elbow, the Yankees called up outfielder Zoilo Almonte from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the time being.

RHP Shawn Kelley was put on the disabled list with a back injury of his own to open the roster spot for Almonte, and manager Joe Girardi said that he's not sure how long Almonte will be around but hopes his banged-up outfielders will be ready soon -- if only for the welfare of his short bullpen.

"With the health of our outfielders the way it is, we figured it was probably a good idea to call Zoilo up," Girardi said. "But we can't go too long (with a short bullpen), so let's get through the next day or two and see where we are."